Method of making brooches and the like



April 28, 1942'. V E. M. WOODRUFF METHOD OF MAKING BROOCVHES AND THELIKE Filed July 28, 1941 Patented Apr. 28, 1942 METHOD OF MAKINGBROQCHES AND THE LIKE Edward M. Woodruff, Auburn, N. Y., assignor to TheWoodrufi Compan poration of New York y, Auburn, N. Y., a cor-Application July 28, 1941, Serial No. 404,404.

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to the art of making brooches, badges,ornamental clasp pins and the like, and more particularly to the meth-0d of preparing a brooch body for and the mounting of a pin fastenerthereon.

An object ofthe present invention is the provision of a novel andimproved method which includes the steps of forming or otherwisepreparing an ornamental brooch body with a pin fastener receiving andsupporting means on its rear face, inserting a partially formed pinfasten- Other and further objects of the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, and the novel features thereof defined by the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary somewhat diagrammatic vertical sectional viewthrough a hydraulic ram type molding apparatus illustrating a set ofcomplemental mold members used in forming the brooch body with a pinreceiving recess in its rear face and cross webs intermediate the endsof the recess. separated position with the moldable material for thebrooch deposited in the lower mold member;

Figure 2 is a similar view taken about on line 2-2 of Figure 1disclosing the recess and web forming plate, in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 1 but disclosingthe mold members in their closed or molding position;

Figure 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a rear view of the brooch body disclosing the pin receivingrecess or groove and the cross webs or interruptions in the groove;

Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 6 disclosing onemethod of formingthe pin receiving apertures in the interruptions orwebs in the groove;

The mold members are shown in Figure 8 illustrates the insertion of apartially formed pin fastener in the groove; and

Figure 9 illustrates in full lines the partially formed pin fastener inits final position in the groove. The dotted lines show the pin fastenerafter it is completely bent to form the clasp pin.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawing in which is illustrated a typical example ofapparatus that may be used for carrying out my improved method offorming brooches and the like.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 to 4, A and B denote respectivelyupper and lower complemental mold members. These mold members are eachformed with a number of brooch body forming cavities IA and IB.

A predetermined quantity of moldable material such as Bakelite ingranular form is introduced into the mold member B in any suitablemanner such as by a conventional delivery apparatus not shown. The lowermold member is secured to the upper end of a hydraulic ram 4 and whenused with a material such as a Bakelite compound the mold members areheated. After the moldable material has been deposited into the lowermold member B, the molds are brought together as shown in Figures 3 and4, and the brooch bodies 5 are simultaneously formed with a very thinconnecting flash or sprue between and around the brooch bodies. Theupper mold member A is formed with grooves or elongated recesses 6, oneof these recesses being located in the base of each of the mold cavitiesIA. A recess and web forming plate I is positioned in each recess 6 andsecured in place by the pins 8. These plates 1 are for the purpose offorming the recesses or longitudinal grooves in the rear faces of thebrooch bodies and the cross webs or interruptions in the lastmentionedrecesses or grooves. The plates preferably extend down into the moldcavities IA in the upper mold a considerable distance.

The portion ll! of each plate 1 is formed with interruptions or notchesII. In the molding operation, as the mold members come together, theportion IU of the plate forms the groove l2 in the rear face of thebrooch body 5, While the material which flows into the interruptions ornotches ll forms webs l3 across the groove I2. Conventional ventopenings may if desired be formed in the mold A to release any trappedair or excess moldable material during the molding operation. As themold members come together, as above stated, the pressure together withthe heat forms the brooches in a somewhat discshaped unit, and thisresultant disc containing the three brooch bodies is ejected from themoid in any suitable manner as by the use of push pins I4 and introducedinto any suitable tumbler, not shown, which breaks the flash around thebodies producing the individual brooch bodies as seen in Figures 5 and6.

Each brooch body 5 may then be positioned with the ends of the groove [2in alignment with the drills or piercing members l5 (see Figure '7), andthese drills are moved relatively towards each other to form the pinreceiving apertures IS in the webs IS. The pin receiving apertures I6having been formed in the interruptions or webs I 3 in the groove 12,the partially formed pin fastener I1 is inserted through the aperture I6as seen in Figures 8 and 9. The fastener illustrated is a pointed wirecapable of forming a resilient clasp of the safety pin type, the wireinitially being preferably reversely bent at one end as at l8 beforeassembly on the brooch and recessed at It to receive the pointed end 2dwhen the fastener is bent to the dotted line position as seen in Figure9.

In molding these brooches of Bakelite material, I preferably employ therotary type of molding machine in which 21] or more molds and theirhydraulically and automatically operated rams are employed. The use ofthis automatic equipment is more or less immaterial since the broochbodies could easily be molded by the conventional method of compressionmolding in a flat bed press, or they could be molded out ofthermo-plastic material, such as cellulose-acetate by the injectionmethod. In the event that the brooch bodies are made by the injectionmethod, the two holes through which the pin fastener passes could bemolded simultaneously with the groove and interrupting cross webs by theuse of draw pins.

It will be understood from the foregoing that one of the importantfeatures of this invention is the simultaneous molding of a slot orgroove in a brooch body with the interruptions or webs so as to providean improved mounting for the pin fastener, which serves to at leastpartially conceal the pin and which also serves to facilitate assemblyof the pin by simplifying guiding of the pin into the apertures Itduring the assembly operation. Due to the simplified method ofmanufacture and assembly of these brooches, they can be completed inless time than is otherwise possible in a composition or molded broochin which the pin fastener is molded into the body of the brooch. In theuse of the groove in a molded brooch body, the reduction of sectionthickness reduces the curing time required.

Although the method hereinbefore described is especially advantageous inthe manufacture of molded brooches which have a section substantially asillustrated in the accompanying drawing, certain of the advantages willbe obtained with brooches and the like having a relatively thinnersection by omitting the groove and integrally molding the equivalent ofthe groove interruptions in the form of protruding lugs or bosses of aheight adequate for drilling to receive the pin in the same manner aspreviously described.

While the specific details have been herein shown and described, theinvention is not confined thereto, as changes and alterations may bemade without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by theappended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making brooches and the like ornaments, which comprisesforming an interrupted groove in the rear face of the body of thebrooch, piercing the groove-interrupting portion of the body in theplane of the groove with the central axis of the pierced openingextending generally parallel to the groove, inserting into the piercedopening aforesaid an elongated resilient fastener member having a catchportion provided at one end thereof to project rearwardly from the bodyat one end of the groove and a pointed pin portion at its other end ofsufiicient length to project beyond the pierced opening when insertedtherethrough, and thereafter reversely bending the pin portion outwardlyof the groove at the opposite end of the latter and towards the catchportion of the fastener member to dispose the pointed end in a positionto releasably engage the catch in the manner of a safety pin.

2. The method of making brooches and the like ornaments, which comprisessimultaneously forming a brooch body and providing an interrupted groovein the rear face thereof, piercing the groove-interrupting portion ofthe body in the plane of the groove with the central axis of the piercedopening extending generally parallel to the groove, inserting into thepierced opening aforesaid an elongated resilient fastener member havinga catch portion provided at one end thereof to project rearwardly fromthe body at one end of the grove and a pointed pin portion at its otherend of sufficient length to project beyond the pierced opening wheninserted therethrough, and thereafter reversely bending the pin portionoutwardly of the groove at the opposite end of the latter and towardsthe catch portion of the fastener member to dispose the pointed end in aposition to releasably engage the catch in the manner of a safety pin.

3. The method of making molded brooches and the like ornaments, whichcomprises molding a brooch body while simultaneously forming aninterrupted groove in the rear face thereof, piercing thegroove-interrupting portion of the body in the plane of the groove withthe central axis of the pierced opening extending generally parallel tothe groove, inserting into the pierced opening aforesaid an elongatedresilient fastener member having a catch portion provided at one endthereof to project rearwardly from the body at one end of the groove anda pointed pin portion at its other end of sufficient length to projectbeyond the pierced opening when inserted therethrough, and thereafterreversely bending the pin portion outwardly of the groove at theopposite end of the latter and towards the catch portion of the fastenermember to dispose the pointed end in a position to releasably engage thecatch in the manner of a safety pin.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the groove is so formed asto provide a plurality of interruptions longitudinally spaced from eachother in the length of the groove.

5. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the interruption of thegroove is so formed in the molding of the body as to provide a pluralityof longitudinally spaced webs integral with the body and extendingtransversely of the groove.

6. The method of attaching fastener members of the safety pin type toornament bodies which are intended to be secured to wearing apparel,which comprises forming an interrupted groove in one face of theornament body, piercing the interrupted portion of the groove to formpin receiving openings therein and inserting a partially formed wire pinfastener in the groove and through the openings in the interruptions inthe groove and completing the pin fastener while the same is in thegroove.

7. The method of making brooches and the like which consists in forminga brooch body with a depression in the rear portion of the brooch and anapertured Web extending across the depression, inserting in thedepression and through the aperture a supporting fastener having a pinportion, and extending the pin portion of the fastener across the rearface of the brooch body.

8. The method of making brooches and the like which consists in forminga brooch body with a depression in the back thereof, and an aperturedpin receiving web in said depression, inserting a partially formed clasppin through the aperture and completing the formation of the clasp pinby positioning the opposite end portions of the pin at opposite sides ofthe web with the extremities of the pin extending towards each other inreleasable cooperative engagement.

EDWARD M. WOODRUFF.

